Methods for
Logging Baleen
Whales SWFSC
BY CORY HOM-WEAVER
Step 2: Open Triton
Start Matlab and at the
command prompt type
‘triton’ and press enter to
run the application
Three windows will be
displayed:
Plot, Control, & Message…
Control
Window –
Controls
settings for
Plot
Window.
-Plot
Window
Displays
Long Term
Spectral
Average
(LTSA),
spectrogram,
spectra and
time series
plots.
Message Window -Keeps a record of
the users actions and displays Plot
Window cursor location.
Step 3: Add Logger remora
In the control window (upper left
hand window) click on ‘Remoras’
then ‘Add Remora.”
Browse to the folder containing
TritonRemorasLogger. Highlight
this folder and click ‘Select Folder’
A new window pop up asking to
restart Triton, click ‘Yes’
You will only need to add the
Remora once. Triton should
remember this once you have
added it. It will prompt you to
restart Triton at this time.
Step 4: Open an LTSA
Click FileOpen LTSA
Browse to the LTSA you wish to use
for your log (they may vary
depending on the species you are
logging)
When it opens the plot and control
windows may look something like
this
Step 5: Set Parameters
If you are logging duty cycled data you will want to
be looking at around 1 hour at a time. Set the plot
length accordingly.
If you are logging continuous data then plot length
should be 1
Make sure you start logging as close to the start of
the hour as possible
Brightness should be from 0-10dB
Contrast should be around 100dB
Depending on the species you will want to adjust
your upper frequency bounds.
For blue and fin whales you can look at 0-150Hz
Step 6: Create a new log
Click on RemorasLog New Log
Enter in the name of the log and direct Triton to
save it in the folder with the LTSA
Name your log with the
Cruise_Year_Drift_#_Species_Log
Ex: CCES_2018_Drift_07_BlueWhale_Log
Step 7: Set the deployment metadata
Type your initials in the ‘User ID’ tab
Type the project name in the ‘Project’ tab
Type in the Drift number in “Deployment’ and ‘Site’ tabs
Then select your start time on the LTSA.
Remember to make sure to start as close to the hour as
possible
Click ‘Set deployment metadata'
Step 8: Setting up logging options
Check ‘All’ under the logging options
You can double click the “All’ button to expand it and
check off specific species if you want.
Under Granularity select ‘binned’
Under time in minutes type ‘60’
Click ‘Set Effort’
NOTE: Although your log is open in the background this
does not mean you can make changes to your log
while you currently have the logging window open. If
you need to make a change to your spreadsheet you
must end your logging session and then open the
spreadsheet to make changes.
Step 9: Scrolling and looking for calls
Use the arrows on the LTSA to scroll back and
forward in time
Look for spikes of energy in the LTSA
These are Blue whale D calls with low frequency
noise
Step 10: Zooming in on a sound
When you see a spike of energy that you
want to investigate click on the ‘Expand’
button to open the associated wav file.
Then click on the part of the LTSA that you
want to look at in more detail
Step 11: Adjust parameters for the spectrogram
Set the plot length to 120 s. If it wont let you set it that
high then use the back arrow to scroll to the beginning
of the wav file
Set the Plot Freq End to 200 Hz. We are looking for calls
generally below 100 Hz.
FFT will vary depending on the frequency range you
are looking at. For blue and fin whales we will use 512
Set %Overlap to 90
Brightness should be between 0-10dB
Contrast should be around 100%dB
Now you Triton windows should look
something like this
Step 12: Logging your first sound
Go through each hour of recordings and look for calls made by the species of
interest (i.e. blue whale A, B and D calls)
We will be binning call types by the hour
When you find your first call we you click on the corresponding drop down for
group and species
Then check off the first call of that type you have seen in that hour
Click on the call and then click on “pick start”
*In the comments please note the quality of the call (1-3) followed by the
quality of the recordings (G or B). PLEASE SEPARATE USING A “,” (comma)
1=low SNR (signal to noise ratio)
2=medium SNR
3=high SNR
G=good and can use auto-detector
B=bad and cannot use auto-detector
Click save image if you want to save the spectrogram.
Click log to save the information to the spreadsheet
*See more on this on following slides
What if you are unsure of the species or
call type?
Listen to the sound. Does is sound like the call type you are logging?
Check in with Cory or Shannon. If they are busy or aren’t sure of the
call type either then…
Save the image and audio
In the comments box type “poss call type” (ie poss B call) after the
SNR of the call and the G/B recording. Separate these using a
comma.
Ie : 3, G, poss B call
We will have to review these later
Example of SNR 1 calls
Example of SNR 2 calls
Example of SNR 3 calls
Example of B(bad) recordings
Example of G(good)recordings
